Schoharie Crossing SHS

Schoharie Crossing Barge Canal History Lecture

admin

ec_oiltankerWEBThe Friends of Schoharie Crossing are sponsoring a talk entitled “The History of the Barge Canal” on Tuesday, May 28 at 6:30pm. It will be presented by Craig Williams, historian at the New York State Museum in Albany at the Enders House, located adjacent to the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center, at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY.

Closing in on its 100th anniversary, the modern day Barge Canal is not so modern anymore but back in the nineteen teens it was full of invention and innovation in much the same way the earlier canal had been in 1825. Williams will explain the Barge Canal’s construction, usage throughout the 20th century and its transition into the tourism business. Read more →

Fort Hunter: Who Owned The Fort? Talk Tuesday

admin

Tricia Shaw, the education coordinator at Schoharie Crossing, will share her latest research in a lecture entitled “Who Owned the Fort?” sponsored by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing on Tuesday.  The presentation will explain the Fort Hunter’s history and trace the families who lived at the confluence of the Mohawk River and Schoharie Creek including the Mabee, the Enders, the Putman, the Wemple and the Voorhees families.

The talk will emphasize the importance of intermarriage between these families. Also how the settlers intermingled and influenced the Native population will also be discussed. The lecture will be followed by refreshments and the August meeting of the Friends of Schoharie Crossing. All are welcome to attend- the meeting and lecture are both open to the public.

The event will be held Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 6:30pm at Enders House, located adjacent to the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center, at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.

For more information about this event or how to join the Friends of Schoharie Crossing, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516. For more information about New York State Parks, visit our website at www.nysparks.com. Find us on Facebook.

Archaeology Theme For Schoharie Crossing Canal Days

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter (Schoharie County) will be hosting the 28th annual Canal Days Celebration on Saturday, July 14 and on Sunday, July 15, 2012 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission and parking are free.

Canal Days is dedicated to the historical significance of the Erie Canal and its impact on New York State. However, due to damaged caused by last fall’s Tropical Storm Irene and the unearthing of the remains of Fort Hunter for its 300th anniversary, there will be an archaeology theme and a focus on Schoharie Crossing’s earlier 18th century history as well as the 19th century canal history.

The Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center will be open for the duration of the events which includes the “Little Short of Madness” and “Celebrate 300!: Centuries of Fort Hunter History and New Discoveries” exhibits. Michael Roets will be conducting a live archaeological dig throughout the weekend with the ongoing potential of new discoveries. Topics in archaeology will be addressed throughout the weekend with special talks and walking tours in prehistoric, industrial, landscape archaeology and cemetery restoration.

Other history related activities include Joe Doolittle presenting stories about the Mohawk Valley on Saturday, David Cornelius presenting information about Mohawk Lifeways on Sunday and Beverly Cornelius doing basket weaving demonstrations on Sunday. Both days the Circuit Spinsters will be demonstrating fiber arts such as spinning and weaving.

Canal Days 2012 will feature live entertainment on the main stage:

On Saturday, the Veeder Guitar Jazz Duo will perform from 11:00 am to 12:15pm. The Dependants will follow performing from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The Dependants are the hottest young pop/rock band around, having won Montgomery County’s 2010 Battle of Bands. Also all the members are under the age of 19. On Sunday Eric Marczak will perform Native American flute music from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm. Sunday afternoon will feature the bluegrass band Dyer Switch from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Children’s Activities include a petting zoo and pony rides from Dream Pony will be set up both afternoons. Also a Native American Kids Craft tables will feature four different Native crafts for children aged 4 to 13, each craft will be $3.00 from noon to 3pm each day. Sparkles the Clown will be stilt walking and juggling on Saturday. There will be a reptile display and on Sunday magician Evil Dan will be on hand.

Also, the Tri-County Power Association “Field Days” will have Old Time Steam and Gas Engines on display with demonstrations of antique agricultural and household machinery both days. Cheryl Bielli will be available both days to draw caricatures. Food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, fried dough, fresh squeezed lemonade, and ice cream will be available. There will be a silent auction under the Friends of Schoharie Crossing Tent on Sunday.

Canal Days is sponsored by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and the Occupancy Tax, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

For more information about this alcohol free event, call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516.

Photo: Schoharie Aqueduct, showing the canalway (Courtesy Wikipedia).

Lecture on Fultonville’s Starin Place

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will offer a program entitled “Fultonville’s Starin Place” on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the historic site’s Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing and presented by Karen Chapman, director of Fortroyale Preservation Society in Fultonville, Montgomery County, and owner of the Starin Place.

Starin Place is a six hundred-acre estate which featured in its prime, a stately mansion, a racetrack, a zoo, hot houses, nurseries, a trout pond, carriage houses, barns, a gazebo and other buildings. Located high on a hill on the south side of the Mohawk River the estate offers a magnificent view of the valley.

The lecture will be part of the April meeting for the Friends of Schoharie Crossing and will be followed by refreshments and the business meeting. All are welcome to attend- the meeting and lecture are both open to the public.

For more information about this event or how to join the Friends of Schoharie Crossing, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516. For more information about New York State Parks, visit our website or on Facebok.

Illustration: Starin Estate from History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties, F.W. Beers and Co., 1878.

Civil War Lectures Set for Schoharie Crossing

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic site’s Enders House (adjacent to the Visitor Center at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY, five miles west of Amsterdam, off Route 5S) will host a series of lectures on the Civil War, Wednesdays in April, 7:00 pm.

On April 4, the lecture series will begin with Montgomery County Historian Kelly Farquar, who will discuss “The Abolitionist Movement in Montgomery County,” a topic of her latest publication.

The series continues on April 11 with Bob Arnold, an instructor at the College of St. Rose whose talk is entitled “New York State and the Civil War.” Arnold is also the former Albany County Historian. On April 25 the lecture series concludes with Matt Zembo’s talk on “Civil War Weapons and Strategy.” Zembo is an instructor at Hudson Valley Community College and is a military reenactor.

The fees for these lectures are $3.00 adults, $2.00 seniors and $1.00 for children under 16. Please contact Tricia Shaw at [email protected] or 518-829-7516 for more information.

Photo: Schoharie Aqueduct, showing the canalway (Courtesy Wikipedia).

Schoharie Crossing to Host Flooding Discussion

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host a lecture on “Fort Hunter Flooding Through the Ages: An Eyewitness Look” on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Fort Hunter Library, 167 Fort Hunter Road, Town of Florida. The lecture is sponsored by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing and presented by education coordinator Tricia Shaw. The lecture will be followed by refreshments and the September meeting of the Friends of Schoharie Crossing. All are welcome to attend- the meeting and lecture are both open to the public.

Tricia Shaw will lead a discussion about the history of flooding in the Fort Hunter area. The Schoharie Creek is famous as a flood prone area. Shaw will set the tone by talking about the floods of 1904, 1914 1938 and 1977. Then using eyewitness accounts of the 1955 and 1987 floods, she will compare those earlier “bad” floods to the recent 2006 and 2011 floods. An open discussion will follow, allowing individuals to share their own memories and thoughts.

For more information about this event or how to join the Friends of Schoharie Crossing, please call Shaw’s cell phone at (518) 878-6915.

Peter Feinman: Irene and New York State History

admin

This past July, a group of educators toured the historic Mohawk Valley. The group consisted of teachers from the region, particularly the Utica school district, people from historical societies, and cultural heritage tourists. The program was described as an &#8220immersion experience&#8221into the history of the Mohawk Valley. Little did we know that the metaphorical image soon would become a literal one. Read more →

Schoharie Crossing Historic Site Seeks Volunteers

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is seeking volunteers for the Fall to help on a regular or semi regular basis around the historic site doing a variety of different jobs. Volunteer opportunities may include but are not limited to: interpretation (answering patrons’ questions, giving guided tours, helping with school field trips, running the cash register in the gift shop, period clothing reenacting, helping with special events, providing refreshments), office work (typing, filing, answering phones), maintenance work (gardening, landscaping), historical work (research, curatorial work), environmental aspects (bird and animal assessments, trail maintenance) and photography. No prior work at a historic site is necessary. Training will be provided.

Brief interviews will be conducted to see what is the best fit for both parties involved, taking advantage of interests, hobbies and talents to match the historic site’s needs as much as possible.

To see how you can help, please call 829- 7516 or email [email protected] for more information

Teacher Open House at Schoharie Crossing

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host an open house for teachers and parents who home school on Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 9 am to noon at the Visitor Center.

There will be lots of handouts available for use in the classroom, a free raffle for all who attend, and free continental breakfast. Participants will receive 20% off discount in the gift shop on books and historical toys. There will be a guided walking tour of the East Guard Lock, the Original Crossing and the Schoharie Aqueduct at 10 am. Have all your canal questions answered by the Canalgirl. The new and improved 4th grade scavenger hunt will be featured so complete it for yourself.

For more information by call the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center at (518) 829- 7516 or email [email protected]

Schoharie Crossing to Host 1792 Batteau Landing

admin

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host a replica 18th century bateaux (flat-bottomed cargo boats) owned by the Mabee Farm Historic Site and crewed by Schulyers Company of New York Provincials and other reenactors, while in route from Rome to Rotterdam Junction.

The trip is roughly 87 miles long, and recreates similar journeys that occurred on the Mohawk River prior to the building of the Erie Canal. Captain David Manthey and the crew welcomes the public to witness their landing at the Yankee Hill Picnic Area between 5pm and 6pm on the evening of August 25, 2011 and to ask questions. Read more →